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Partnerships for Sustainable Futures (MULT90005)
Graduate courseworkPoints: 12.5Dual-Delivery (Parkville)
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About this subject
Contact information
February
Semester 2
Overview
| Availability | February - Dual-Delivery Semester 2 - Dual-Delivery |
|---|---|
| Fees | Look up fees |
Environmental sustainability issues are often complex, controversial and associated with uncertain conditions. Multiple individuals and organisations may have an interest or stake in the problem, may have relevant expertise or resources, or may contribute to decision-making and management. Developing, implementing and evaluating pathways for sustainable futures thus often requires cooperation across institutions, sectors, and communities. Private, public and not-for-profit sectors; local, national, regional and global jurisdictions; disciplinary, practitioner, local, and Indigenous knowledges: these all have different commitments, priorities, and ways of working. How do we successfully translate and collaborate across these areas, and how does this support transformational change for sustainable futures?
As highlighted by Sustainable Development Goal 17 (Partnerships), the collaborative capacity of individuals and organisations cannot be taken for granted, and instead requires the careful and critical development of a specific set of professional competencies. In this subject, students apply critical and reflexive thinking to professional practices that are crucial to leading effective partnerships for environmental sustainability, and which are highly valued in environmental sectors. Incorporating perspectives and practices from a range of environmental professions and disciplines, the subject develops students’ capacity for building, maintaining and evaluating partnerships in applying environmental expertise to decision-making and action for sustainable futures.
The subject focuses on the following questions:
• What kinds of partnerships are important in integrating environmental expertise and applying it to decision-making and action for sustainable futures, and why?
• What are the challenges for environmental professionals in developing such partnerships and collaborating effectively across organisations, sectors, forms of expertise, and communities?
• What skills and strategies can assist environmental professionals in developing, leading and maintaining effective partnerships with positive outcomes?
• How can we evaluate and learn from the collaborative processes and outcomes of partnerships?
Intended learning outcomes
On the completion of this subject, students will have the ability to:
- Analyse the forms and attributes of partnerships that are important in integrating environmental expertise and applying it to decision-making and action for sustainable futures
- Identify the benefits and challenges of these partnerships between environmental professionals, organisations, and communities
- Demonstrate key collaboration skills that support effective and positive partnerships, including self-reflection, clear communication of specialist knowledge to different audiences, understanding of and respect for others' perspectives, integration of different types of knowledge and values, project management, and project evaluation.
Generic skills
In this subject, students will build the skills to enable them to:
- Exercise critical judgement and analysis;
- Interpret, integrate and apply information and data from a range of sources;
- Manage complex and uncertain issues and situations;
- Develop high-level written communication and/or oral presentation skills; and
- Undertake independent and collaborative thinking and organisation.
Last updated: 31 January 2024